The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-04-06
Allan RAILROADS AND
SUGAR.
HAWAIIAN
Hon. >. G. Wilder interviewed i'm San
Francisco.

Nr.
Francisco.
The San Francisco Examiner, March
18th, contains an interview with our fell
low citizen, Hon. s. G. Wilder the salient
points of which are as follows. He said:
First of all 1 desire to state, began Mr.
Wilder, I went to England to borrow
money to build my road. Why? Because
[ could not borrow it in this country.
laid my project before capitalists both in
San Francisco and in New York, and in
neither city were my proposals entertained
for moment. In England [ met with
every encouragement and speedy success.
In short, if | had waited for American
capital the road probably would have had
to wait a long time. English capital is ly
ing idle and must seek Investment outside.
This is not the case with American cap
ital.
The railroad which l will build with the
money have been able to borrow in Lon
don will be seventy miles in length, and
connect the village of HiIo with another
road twenty miles in length already built
and being operated on the island of Ha-
vail This will make ninety miles, which
will run through excellent sugar land, pro-
ducing 10000 tons of sugar yearly, and
using so, 900 tons of supplies. Indeed, Ha
wall is the principal island of the group,
and most of the sugar is grown there. 1t
has been taken in steamers from Hawaii to
Honolulu and from thence shipped to San
Francisco However, Hilo, which my rail
road will connect with the principal sugar
country, is 100 miles nearer San Francisco
and in future sugar will be freghted TO this
port and from here shipped direct to the
Pacific Coast. There is a good harbor at
Hilo, and it is prosperous village of 200
souls, finely situated and enjoying an
almost perfect climate Besides, Hilo is
but thirty miles distant from the volcano
and therefore more convenient for tourists
The Hawaiian Railroad will supply means
of transportation to $4,000 people, and
will, as L say, carry many thousand tons of
freight. The road is subsidized by the
Government at the rate of 50 500 mile
But this is q good proposition for the Gov
eminent, as the taxes | shall pay will
amount to more than the interest on the
money, not taking into consideration the
benefits of the improvement indirectly to
the people of the island
THE HAWAIIAN LOAN.
Was the Hawaiian loan failure in Lon
don? asked the Examiners" representa-
tive
Certainly not, was the reply. There
were twenty-one times the amount of sub
scriptions for the million offered. The
necessity for a loan might have been
4 I, IL
sty for placing the loan in England. But
there is no doubt about the success of the
operation. That is palpable fact to
which l can testify.
Doesn't it strike you, continued Mr..
Wilder, that if America does not value
Hawaiian commerce and make no special
effort to encourage it, that we are justified
in helping ourselves, even with English
capital. We are loyal to America, our
treaty is one of amity and commercial
reciprocity, but we are often compelled to
go to England for the capital denied us in
the United States. If America is not care
full there will be an English line of steamers
running from Victoria to the Islands. The
subsidy to the Spreckels line expires in
twenty months, and already the English
capitalists are figuring ON supplanting the
American line. When was in London a
company had been formed to lay cable
from Port Moody to Hawaii. This is but
the first step. What will come after?
Surely an English subsidized line to keep
the cable company. Is it reasonable to
suppose that an American line of steamers
will be able to compete against an English
subsidy? Besides, the Interstate Com
merce bill has but been passed On the
9TH of April the new rates for long hauls
will go into effect. Now the rate to New
York is so cents per hundred, formerly it
was even less, but on and after the 9Th of
April it will be 81 30 a hundred In CON
sequence no Hawaiian sugar can go East
by rail. As you only consume 10000 tons
of sugar on this coast, 900 will have to
go elsewhere The finer sugar cannot go
much lower than what it is now. Conse- |
quently this sugar will seek another mar
ket, probably Victoria. | merely suggest
these questions for the consideration of |
Californians because [ come from here, |
and l am attached to the country of my
birth. | do not like to see the trade of the |
Islands slipping away from the United |
States For with it may also go the trade |
with Australia, Japan and China. The |
matter is well worth the attention of the !
San Francisco Board of Trade